Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting for High and Low, and the new movie can redeem the director over a decade after a big disappointment. Denzel and Spike have a long history of working together and making successful movies. The highs of Malcolm X and Inside Man always create excitement when they collaborate on another project. That is why the announcement that Denzel Washington would star in Spike Lee’s High and Low remake immediately made the film a highly anticipated project.

Many aspects of High and Low help make the new Denzel Washington and Spike Lee movie one to look forward to. It is their first movie together in 18 years, as 2006’s Inside Man was the last time they worked on the same project. The two talented men have continued to make films and tell stories apart, and they have each experienced different levels of success and failure. Considering how great of a track record they have together, High and Low has a chance to redeem one of Spike Lee’s more disappointing films.

High And Low Is Spike Lee’s First Remake Since 2013’s Oldboy

High And Low Is A Remake Of A 1963 Japanese Film

High and Low is not the first remake for Spike Lee or Denzel Washington, but it is the first for the director in over a decade. He last remade an existing story in 2013 with Oldboy. The movie was an American remake of Park Chan-wook’s original 2003 Korean film, which received strong critical praise upon its release, leading to an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Spike Lee’s version starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharlto Copley, and others did not go over nearly as well a decade later. It has a disappointing 39% Tomatometer rating.

After the troubles that Oldboy experienced, Spike Lee shifted the focus of his directing efforts to make original stories. This led him to make Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, Chi-Raq, BlackKklansman, and Da 5 Bloods as his next movies. He did remake one of his movies as a TV show with Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It series, but he has otherwise steered clear of remaking a story someone else already told. Now, High and Low sees Spike Lee remake Akira Kurosawa’s acclaimed thriller from 1963.

How High And Low Can Avoid Oldboy’s Biggest Criticisms

Spike Lee Can Learn From His Mistakes

One of the biggest criticisms levied against Spike Lee’s Oldboy was how it failed to live up to or surpass the original movie by taking a safe approach to the adaptation. The filmmaker’s ability to avoid this mistake again with High and Low is crucial to the film’s success. Lee is once again tackling a story that was already expertly told, although this time he has to match Akira Kurosawa. Taking a low-risk approach to this adaptation could hurt how High and Low is received, just as it did with Oldboy.

If Lee injects more of himself and his style, all while modernizing and updating the story, his and Denzel Washington’s High and Low remake could work. This is even more important when telling a mystery thriller narrative like the one present here. Oldboy had its own mystery and twists by the end, but Lee could have done a better job of creating the tension, unraveling the truth, and detailing the surprises. Hopefully, High and Low is a compelling thriller more in the vein of Inside Man and improves upon what Spike Lee delivered with Oldboy.